Another Dr. Nibley Piece

I have come across another article by Dr. Nibley that I found intriguing. This one is called "Apocryphal Writings and Teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls." I have linked to where it is online at FARMS.

First, Dr. Nibley talks about how many discoveries of ancient documents have been made just since World War II. Examples include the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi library, and the Manichaean discovery. He names a number of others as well.

One of the things that really caught my attention was what he had to say about how these writings had been "buried with the expectation of being received by a later generation." He talks about how they were sealed in jars and buried and all, making it clear that those burying them were not expecting to come back a short time later and retrieve them. True, the writings weren't engraved on metal plates, but they were preserved as well as could be and we do have them now, though not in perfect condition.

The article itself is a fine read. I found myself feeling a little overwhelmed as I read what Dr. N. had to say about the creation, referring often to the documents mentioned above. I thought about how little we really know about what it means for our Heavenly Father to be God--how much He has to know, how much He has to do. I felt a sense of near vertigo as I read of Abraham being shown the stars in the Apocalypse of Abraham. It reminded me of the pictures the Hubble telescope has sent back. Impressive.

The last part of this article talks a great deal about ordinances, including temple ordinances, and quotes from many of these newly discovered writings. That, too, was fascinating reading.

I enjoyed Dr. N.'s listing of the names of the writings he was refering to and thus giving me a list of writings to seek out. I do feel that this sort of "extracurricular" reading is best done by those who have a good grasp of what the gospel is and what it means. As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith, referring to the Apocrypha, in D & C 91:4-5: "Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; and whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom...."

It is a wondrous thing to read many things on many topics and see how they begin to connect.

Reading Dr. Nibley

I have a lot of reading to do to catch up with many of you as far as reading Dr. Hugh Nibley's work is concerned. Still, I can't say I'm too unhappy about that! It is interesting reading and I am learning all sorts of new things. Perhaps I appreciate it more now than I would have when I was younger. He writes interesting pieces and refers to other books and authors and topics that can be researched further.

One recent article that gave me a very different perspective on early Christianity was "The Passing of the Primitive Church: Forty Variations on an Unpopular Theme." I had never considered before reading this piece that the early church, that Jesus Christ had established, did not expect to survive, and that their references to 'the end' might be to the Great Apostasy rather than to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Dr. Nibley comments on a number of things in this piece, including ways the church members acted and spoke and what it indicated about their expectations for the future. For example, they did not refer to the church "as a lusty infant but as an old and failing woman." Why? Because they knew it would not survive for long.

In fact, as Dr. Nibley puts it, "Church history seems to be resolved never to raise the fundamental question of survival as the only way of avoiding a disastrous answer, and the normal reaction to the question—did the church remain on earth?—has not been serious inquiry in a richly documented field, but shocked recoil from the edge of an abyss into which few can look without a shudder." After all, if later church leaders wished to show direct links with the early church, they would want to avoid any consideration of this possibility at all.

This is an interesting article, even if its contents are not new ideas to you as they were to me. The article appears in Volume 4 of Dr. Nibley's collected works, Mormonism and Early Christianity. It is also on the FARMS website, which I have linked above. I have the 1999 version of GospeLink and it is on those CDs as well, if you happen to have them (and I expect it is on any later versions, as well). Since I have become so interested in early Christianity, I will be reading the entire contents of that volume as I can. Too bad I have to go to work and lead a normal life, too! It cuts into my reading time.